Railroad-track switch



Patented Spt. 14, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

I. G. POsPYHALA. RAILROAD TRACK SWITCH. APPLICATION FILED APR.12. 1919.

- 1,352,988, PatentedSept. 14, 1920.

Tee

IGNATIUS G. .FOSPYEALA, or seams VALLEY, iLriiitors. i

see NET; emicg;

n IL'aQAD-TRAGK swi'rcn. T

Toallwhom itmag concern) 7 V Be it known thatI, IGNArIUs Pos- PYHALA, a citizen of the United States, and a residentnof Spring Valley, Illinois, have invented a certain new and'useful Improve ment in Railroad-Track Switches, of which the following is a specification. If This invention relates to,,railroad track switches, and more particularly to "those which are used for tracks on which electric V motors are employed to haulsmal'l cars, such as those employed in the hauling of coal, or for any other desired purpose. 1

'Generally stated," the object of theinvention is to provide animproved construction and arrangement whereby a fiying switch may be made automatically, without thenccessity of manually controlling theswitch mechanism, the latter being controlled automatically by'means carried on the motor, or on some vportion of the rolling"stock,'so that the motor or locomotive will travel; straight ahead and the cars behindwill beshunted ofif onto a side track','or ontojanothertrack, in the wellknown manner, and-without the necessity of any' manual control of the switch. I f It is also an object to provide certain detailsand features of construction and-combinations tending to increase the general efficiency, and the desirability :of an autoticular character. i c 7 To these and other-useful ends, the inven; tion consists in matters hereinafter setforth andclaimed. f 1 Y I In the'acc'ompanying drawirigs+ g 1 Figure l'is a plan of a section of the track having a switch 'mechan'ismiemb odyingthe principles ofthe invention.

Fi 2 is aside elevation of said tifach maticallyjcontrolled track switch ot'this par- 7 section and switch mechanism, showing a,

thereon to automatically control said mechan'ism.

Specification of Letters Patent. Pate t d Se t-i4 1920; Application filed April 12, 1919, Serial ltd-289,737,: v i' r i a o switchfmec hanism, V V Fig: 5 is a similar view; 7

Fi'gLQG is a view similar to theright hand Fig.4 is aidetail of portionhfthetrack I portion of'Fig. 3, but showing another form prises a main trackll, 2, and3, laid; on ties e p rs ofany 'suitable character,;.and Y fastened thereto. The switchpoints 5' and 6 are of any suitable or ordinary. character, belng secured at 7 and'at 8 in. a manner which will permit thernto swing laterally. f

The point h leads totheside-trac k rail' 9, and the po1nt 6, when open, permits the wheels of the rolling stock to travel from the rail 2 onto the side track rail 1:O,'the

latter and the rail 9 constituting thestationary side track which is secured-to the ties in any suitable "manner. The switch points 5 and car connected together by a rod ll which .is 'pivotally connected with one end ofa lever 12 whichis fulcrumedat 13 on the plate 14 securedto 'thetie, wherebythis i lever swings in a horizontal plane to open and closethe switch'fA roller .-15v.is supported on the, upper side o'fithe other end portion of said lever, in position to be en.-

gaged by thecam plate 16"s ecurdto the bottom ofthemotor 17 which lattermay be of any suitable character; It willbe seen that the cam plate l6fis disposed at such an angle that it will striketheroller l5,'after the wheels of the motor have assed the '7 switch, traveling to the right in igli thus automatically closingthe switch. M

The outer endof' the rod 1 1' isconnected by rods 18 and 19,"whichareadjustablyconnectedftog'ether, by a 'turn huckle20', with the weight 21 at the outer endthereof. The rod '18, itfwfillbe seen, is' pivotally connect'ed at "22 with the outer endio'f the rod 11 and with this arrangement the weight 21 can move up and down. The rod anes-a depending portion 23,? and said rod rests on a grooved wheel-214 mounted 'onone "of the ties. A hand lever 25,"suitably'fulcrumed at 26, is connected witlrtherodl9, whereby the switch mechanism'c'anbe manually con'.

adapted" to be used; as a substitute for the i trolled when such is necessary or desirable. lVith this arrangement, the depression or depending portion 23 will tend to hold the switch either open or closed, depending upon whether it is inside of the wheel 24 or at the outer side thereof, inasmuch as in order to move the switch from one position to the other, the portion 23. must. ride over the wheel 24, and this is opposed by the weight 21 at the outer end of the rod.

Assuming that the motor and its train'of cars is approaching the switch from the left in F ig. l," the operation is as follows: The wheels of the motor will pass the switch and travel on the rails 1 and 3, just to the right of the places 7' and 8 where the switch points are movably secured to one of they ties. At about this time, the plate 16 will strike the roller 1'5 and will swing the switch point 5 tightly against the rail 1, and the point 6 a distance away from the rail 2 thereby closing the switch. This occurs before the wheels of any of the cars following behind have arrived at the switch. Consequently, the motor being uncoupled from the cars at about the time it passes. the switch, it will be seen that the motor will continue to. travel straight ahead on the rails 1 and 3, while the cars behind will be shunted off onto the siding, thereby makin what is commonly called a flying switch. It will be seen, though, that thisv is accomplished automatically and without any manual control over the switch.

In Fig. 6 a construction is shown which is bent portion 23' of the rod 19, and the roller 24, as a meansv for insuring the holding of the switch in either open or closed position. The construction shown in Fig. 6 comprises a rod 27, which corresponds to the rod 19;, and which is provided at. its outer end with a Wei ht '28, similar to the one reviously descri; ed. The hand lever 29' is ulcrumed at 30 on a late 31" secured to the tie or sleeper. Said lever 29 is also pivoted at, 82 on the rod; 27, so that by this hand lever said rod can be reciprocated endwifse. It Will be seen, however, that the hand lever 29 tends to stay of its own accord in either position, and to resist any tendency of the rod to move endwise in the other direction. Consequently when the hand lever is in the position shown in full lines in Fig. 6, the construction tends to hold the railroad switch in closed position; and? vice versa, when the hand lever 29 is in the position shown'i'n dotted lines in Fig. 6", the const uctio then, tends to. ld he swit h n pe po i ion.

"The c ns ructi n indica d. atv 7 and 8 may b of any suitable or rd nary cha a ter, such as that illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5, and being Wel known and unclerst00d7v does not. need d ription.

It will be seen that the construction shown and described is for operation by a train traveling in a direction to either take the side track or continue on the main track, and that the roller 15 is disposed in position to be engaged and operated by a forward portion of the rolling stock, so that a rear portion will then travel by momentum onto the side track, having been uncoupled for this purpose, and the switch having been automatically thrown or tripped in time to accomplish this particular switching operation.

WVhat' I claim as my invention is 1. In track construction, the combination of a side track switch, mechanism for operating said switch, and 'means whereby said mechanism is automati ally contr lled by the rolling stock of a train. traveling in a direction to eith r take the sidetra k. or continue on the main track, after a forward or tion thereof has traveled on one track ,eyond the switch, so that an uncoupled rear portion of' the rolling stock may contim by momentum and take the other track, Said mechanism comprising a lever pivoted on the road bed to swing in a horizontal plane, means to, connect one end of lever with the points of the switch, and HlQ lIlS disposed on the other end of said lever inposition to be 0 erated by said por tion of the rolling stocr which has passed the switch and thereby automatically throw the latter in time to accomplish said switching 0. eratio -v 2. structure as specified in claim I, in combination with a safety device: to hold the switch aainst movement when shifted to e th r pos t n.

3. A structure as specified in claim 1, in combination with a hand lever suitably connected with the switch, thereby to manually control t e switc whe su h s necessary r desirable, and means tending to hold the switch in'eifther position.

4f. In track construction, the combination of the main rails (1,2 and the movable switch points and 6) the'side track rails ('9 .andj IO), a connection (11) between the switch points, a horizontally swinging lever (12) engaging said connection, a roller (15') on said lever, said roller and lever being disposed between the switch points, so that said roller is also between the other rails {1 and 10), and a cam late ('16) on the rear end of the forward rojling'stock to engage said roller, so that the rolling stock in rear thereof will take the side, track, substantially as described.

5. In track construction, a side track switch, anoperating mechanism therefor in cluding a hand lever, means including a horizontally disposed pivoted arm having a weight to prevent displacement of the switch after being shifted into either position, and means whereby the arm is automatically shifted endwise by thej rolling stock to throw the switch.

6. In track construction, the combination of a side trackswitch, means including a rod connected to operate the switch, a hand lever connected to said rod, a weight on the outer end of said rod, and means whereby the Weight is automatically shifted by the rolling stock to throw the switch, said 10 weight resisting displacement of the switch from either position thereof, and said rod. being movable endwise to permit operation of the switch.

Signed i IGNATIUS Gr. POSPYHALA. 

